After Cursing Obama,

Obama has worked hard to develop the Philippines' partnership with the US and as a regional counterbalance to China. He's visited the country twice in his second term, and announced on a stop there in November the return of a US military presence at a critical naval base on the South China Sea. But Duterte's derogatory comments and a spike in extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers put the relationship in stormier waters. Obama and Duterte had been set to meet in Laos this week, where Obama is attending a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. The statement from Duterte's spokesman said the "meeting has been mutually agreed upon to be moved to a later date.""As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States," he said. "Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people. Everybody has a terrible record of extrajudicial killing. Why make an issue about fighting crime?" He added: "Look at the human rights of America along that line. The way they treat the migrants there." Obama indicated Monday he was wary of meeting with Duterte, suggesting the bombast could prevent making substantial progress between the two nations. "I always want to make sure if I'm having a meeting that it's productive and we're getting something done," Obama said during a news conference. "If and when we have a meeting, this is something that is going to be brought up," Obama said, referring to the Philippines' controversial record of combating drug crime since Duterte took office earlier this year. Later, on Monday afternoon, the White House announced the meeting was canceled. The Philippines war on drugs Since Duterte was elected, more than 1,900 people have died, including at least 700 in police operations that were part of the President's hard-line war on drugs. "Double your efforts. Triple them, if need be. We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier, and the last pusher have surrendered or [been] put behind bars -- or below the ground, if they so wish," Duterte said during his State of the Nation speech on July 25. Read more: Duterte's crackdown -- 6 stories from the front lines Despite the bullish tone, a government spokesman insisted the Duterte administration is against any form of extrajudicial killings. "We do not condone these acts," Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said. "(The) government is here to save our people from the drug menace and punish the offenders, including the big-time ones. The PNP (Philippines National Police) continues to investigate situations involving vigilante killings and operational aspects where deaths are reported."